To start with, I have to say that sci-fi books in general aren't really my thing. I usually find them hard to keep up with, a bit one-dimensional, and too abstract to relate to. I found that my reaction to this book was mostly the same as usual, but it was set in a well-developed, complex universe that wasn't too hard to imagine and set the scene in. I liked some of the characters like the Hive Monk but struggled to relate to or invest in others, and I was also slightly put off by the sentient trains.
One thing I found interesting was the exploration of non-human identity and expression, which is also relevant now as we develop robotics and artificial intelligence. However, there was nothing that really kept me wanting to read it. The ending did leave the possibility of an other book open, but I personally would not be persuaded to read it. If sci-fi is something you usually enjoy, it is a nicely built world and intriguing plot, but it was not a book that really left much of an impression on me.